| 5. Linguistic Exegesis The verse begins with hos {ὡς | hōs} ‘when’, introducing a temporal clause, and the postpositive de {δὲ | dè} ‘but’ signals a narrative shift. The impersonal verb egéneto {ἐγένετο | egéneto} ‘it happened’ takes the noun hormḗ {ὁρμή | hormḗ} ‘assault, rush’ as its nominative subject. The genitive plural phrase tōn ethnôn te kai Ioudaíōn {τῶν ἐθνῶν τε καὶ Ἰουδαίων | tōn ethnôn te kai Ioudaíōn} denotes joint agents of hostility. The prepositional phrase syn tois árchousin autôn {σὺν τοῖς ἄρχουσιν αὐτῶν | syn tois árchousin autôn} ‘with their rulers’ includes civic leaders as participants. The coordinated infinitives hybrísai {ὑβρίσαι | hybrísai} ‘to mistreat’ and lithobolêsai {λιθοβολῆσαι | lithobolêsai} ‘to stone’ express intended actions of dishonor and execution, joined by kaí {καὶ | kaí}. In English, these are rendered as “an attempt was made” and “an attempt began” to emphasize the initiation of hostile intent rather than its completion. |